Forbidden Memories
by Raven-Of-A-Took
Summary: This a squel to the Buffy/Angel crossover where Angel turned human. The Powers That Be have made a terrible mistake that will forever change Buffy's life and her relationship with Riley, Angel, and Spike. Please be merciful. This is my first Buffy fan fic
1. Default Chapter

'Forbidden Memories'  
Author: Raven  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Buffy/Angel characters (as much as I'd LOVE to own Angel and Spike, WHOO HOO!, they belong to Mutant whachamacallit... Grr Arrg)  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
As Buffy sat in class, trying to take notes on her professor's lecture, her mind began to drift. She tried to pull her attention back to the class, but it was just too boring for her. 'Oh well'. She thought to herself. 'I can always get the notes from Will'. Buffy thought about her boyfriend, Riley. She remembered how they had met and then how the relationship had progressed and they had both found out about each other. She found out that he was in the Initiative, an army station in Sunnydale whose job was to capture demons. He found out that she was the chosen one, the Slayer, whose job was to guard the Hellmouth and also to hunt and kill demons and vampires. Buffy idly sketched on her notebook, not paying attention to what the sketch turned out to be. Her only thoughts were on Riley.  
  
"Ms. Summers. Would you like to share your notes with the class?" Buffy started as the professor's voice penetrated her thoughts. The students around her muffled giggles and Buffy looked down at her notebook. She gasped as she saw what she had drawn. Covering a whole page was a sketch of Angel kissing her. Willow gasped also, looking at Buffy's notebook from behind her. "Now, if you would please resume your notes, Ms. Summers, the class can go on." The professor told her. Buffy turned red and turned to the next blank page in her notebook.  
  
"Oh god, I'm so glad Riley's not in this class!" Buffy muttered to herself.  
  
"Ms. Summers?" the professor said sharply. Buffy turned red again.  
  
"Sorry," she squeaked.  
  
***  
  
"Umm... Buffy? Are, are you still in love with... Angel?" Willow asked as soon as class was over.  
  
"No... I don't think so. I... I don't know. Will, I wasn't paying attention when I drew that picture. In fact, I was thinking about Riley!" Buffy shook her head, confused. Willow patted her on the back.  
  
"That's really weird. Well, you wanna go eat lunch. I'm meeting Xander and Anya at McDonalds," Willow offered. Buffy shook her head no.  
  
"Nah. I'm gonna go back to the room and take a short nap. I'm tired."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, see ya later, Willow," Buffy answered. She turned away and headed to the room and went to sleep.  
  
***  
  
"A little bit upset," Buffy finished Cordelia's sentence for her. Cordelia, Doyle, and Angel all looked up, surprised to see her standing in the doorway of Angel's office.  
  
"Buffy?" Cordelia said. "Hi." Buffy nodded at her and she and Doyle hurried out of the office. In the other room, Buffy could hear them talking. "Look out, hurricane Buffy," Cordelia muttered.  
  
"So that's the Slayer?" Doyle asked Cordelia. Buffy ignored them and focused on Angel.  
  
"So... didn't feel like saying hi?" Buffy questioned.  
  
Flash!  
  
They were down in the sewers, looking for the demon that had attacked them. Buffy had her stake out.  
  
"Why a stake?" Angel asked. "We're hunting a demon, not a vampire."  
  
"It's what I know best. Besides... it's better than that thing you have." Buffy motioned to the ax like weapon in Angel's hands. Angel shrugged. Buffy heard a noise and whirled, ready to attack.  
  
"Calm down," Angel told her. "It's just a rat."  
  
Flash!  
  
Buffy was standing on a stone terrace overlooking the beach. She was thinking about her feelings for Angel. Some motion caught her eye and she looked over at the shadows of the archway that was covered with vines. Angel was standing there. As she watched, he took a step toward her. She held her breath as he continued, expecting him to burst into flames the moment the sun touched his skin. When he stepped full into the sunlight, she just stared. He walked right up to her, gathered her into his arms, and kissed her full on the lips.  
  
Flash!  
  
Buffy made herself more comfortable under the covers. Angel was in the kitchen, getting snacks. When he came back, she giggled, looking at him.  
  
"Chocolate," Angel said. He got in bed and under the covers himself. When he got some chocolate on himself, Buffy giggled again. Then she leaned over and licked it off his bare chest. Feeling good, they slipped under the covers and did the one thing that brought pure happiness to their lives. And this time, Angelus didn't ruin it.  
  
Flash!  
  
Buffy fought the green demon fiercely, knowing that Angel would have no chance against the demon now that he was human. Suddenly, the demon got a hit in and Buffy went flying, thrown against the wall of the pit. Then Angel got up and went at the demon. She saw him slam his fist into the ruby in the demon's forehead and the demon died.  
  
Flash!  
  
She was talking to Angel. He was worried about how he was supposed to fight as a human. She shushed him.  
  
"That's my job now," she said, then kissed him. He wouldn't accept that simple fact.  
  
Flash!  
  
Her face was buried in Angel's chest and sobs racked her body. One thought ran through her mind. 'It's not enough time! No!'  
  
"How am I supposed to live, knowing what we had?" she asked, crying desperately and holding on to Angel. He pet her head, trying to soothe her.  
  
"You won't know," he murmured softly.  
  
"No Angel! I can't..."  
  
"It's too late. It's already happened," Angel replied. She sobbed, burying her face in his chest again. Her eyes teary, she looked at him then.  
  
"How long?" she asked. Angel looked at the clock.  
  
"About a minute," Angel told her.  
  
"That's not enough time!" she cried. She hugged Angel tight, hoping that that would stop it from happening. She kept repeating that, thinking that maybe that would make the time longer.  
  
"About thirty seconds," Angel said. She sobbed.  
  
"It's not enough time," she whispered one last time.  
  
Flash!  
  
Buffy was standing in Angel's office with a weird feeling of déjà vu. She started to tell Angel something when the window behind him suddenly bust and a demon jumped through. Without hesitation, Angel slammed his fist into a ruby in the middle of the demon's forehead and it died. Buffy considered Angel.  
  
"Run into his kind before?" she asked.  
  
"You, you could say that."  
  
***  
  
Buffy sat straight up in bed, breathing hard. She shook, as if trying to rid herself of the dream. If she was, it didn't go away, but seemed to cling even harder. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten yet. Getting out of bed, she remembered the part of the dream where she had been laying in bed, waiting for Angel to come back. The dream had seemed so real that it made her wonder. In class she had drawn a picture of her and Angel kissing and now she had dreamed about her and Angel. 'What's up with me?' She silently wondered. She left the room and headed toward the cafeteria. On the way there, she saw Riley headed there also and she abruptly changed direction. Unfortunately, Riley saw her and also changed directions, coming over to talk to her. This was exactly what she DIDN'T need right now. Riley had met Angel and the two hadn't really hit it off. She tried to walk faster, hoping to lose him.  
  
"Hey Buffy!" Riley greeted her, speeding up also to keep pace with her. "Where you headed?"  
  
"Umm," Buffy tried to think of a place that he wouldn't follow her. "I'm going to visit Giles. I have something important to ask him."  
  
"Giles? What's wrong? What do you have to ask him?" Riley questioned.  
  
"No big. Just a couple personal things."  
  
"Hey, I'll escort you there," Riley offered.  
  
"No!" she said quickly. "I mean, you don't have to do that. You probably have more important things to do."  
  
"Yeah," Riley replied quietly, sounding quite abashed. He hustled off in another direction and Buffy decided that she really ought to go and talk to Giles.  
  
***  
  
"Willow?" Willow turned her head from her conversation with Xander and Anya, with basically consisted of Anya asking rather rude questions and telling Xander that after that they would go back to his house, when she heard someone call her name. Riley was standing there wearing a forsaken expression. Leaving her two friends to their talking, Willow got up.  
  
"Wha, what's wrong, Riley?" she asked.  
  
"Do you know if Buffy is in love with someone besides me?" he said. The question jolted Willow and she didn't answer for a minute.  
  
"Why would you think that?" she replied guardedly.  
  
"Well, I was headed toward the cafeteria to eat and I saw Buffy headed that way. As soon as she saw me, she turned around and started heading the other way. When I tried to catch up with her, she walked faster. I asked her where she was going and she told me she was going to talk to Giles after a couple moments, like she'd just thought up the answer. Then, when I offered to escort her to his house, she practically yelled no at me. Also, I've heard some rumors about her drawing pictures of herself and other guys during class. Is it true?" Riley explained. He looked at Willow expectantly.  
  
"I dunno," Willow tried. She didn't want to have to lie to him, but if she told him the truth... well, the relationship would turn out the worse for wear.  
  
"What do ya mean, you don't know? You're in that class with her," Riley asked.  
  
"That, that doesn't mean I know what she's drawing," Willow countered. 'Good thing I know my way around words.' Willow thought to herself. Riley sighed and started to head off.  
  
"Well, if she tells you anything, would you please tell me?"  
  
"Mmm," she replied, making sure not to make that a real yes. Feeling worried, Willow left and headed to Giles' house.  
  
***  
  
"Giles, I don't know what to do. I feel weird and I'm having these dreams. It seems that suddenly I'm thinking a lot more about Angel," Buffy told her old watcher. Giles sighed, running a hand through his graying hair.  
  
"First off, you need to tell me about these dreams you said your having," he said to her. Buffy's face turned red.  
  
"I don't think you wanna know," she replied.  
  
"Just tell me," Giles gave her a look.  
  
"Fine. Well, it starts out as a memory. It's from back in Thanksgiving when I went to L.A. and I confronted Angel. I'm standing in his office and I can remember walking in and surprising them by finishing Cordelia's sentence. Then there's this flash and Angel and I are down in the sewers, searching for some demon, like we used to here. But that didn't happen when I went to L.A. Well, we talk and then there's another flash and I'm standing on a stone terrace over the ocean. Angel walks out into the sunlight without catching fire and he kisses me. Another flash and... well... I'm in bed waiting for Angel to come back from the kitchen with the chocolate. And this time he didn't go bad." Buffy turned redder when she said that. "Flash, and I'm fighting this green demon with a ruby jewel in the middle of his forehead. I get the feeling that I have to protect Angel because he can't fight as a human. I get kicked and Angel hits the ruby and the demon dies. Another flash and I'm reassuring Angel that it's my job to fight the demons now, since he can't do that as a human. Flash, and I'm crying on him, telling him that it isn't enough time. I get this sense that I'm about to forget all about what had just happened, all the other parts of the dream except the first. I ask him how I'm supposed to live knowing what we had and he tells me I won't know. One last flash and I'm standing in Angel's office again. This part is real memory. I was about to tell him something when the window behind him busts open and the green demon appears in the room. And exactly as I remembered it, Angel turns around, hits the ruby and the demon dies."  
  
"Well," Giles said. "Maybe that is a little more than I wanted to know. But it's important."  
  
"Another thing. I was in class today and I was daydreaming about Riley and just doodling on my notebook. I didn't pay attention to what I was drawing. When I looked down at it, there was this picture of Angel kissing me."  
  
"It seems like you have Angel on the brain. Especially if you dream about... well, to put it mildly, having sex with him." Giles looked at her, taking his glasses off at the same time. "When did you have this dream?"  
  
"What dream?" came Willow's voice from the doorway. Buffy stood up immediately, embarrassed.  
  
"Nothing!" she exclaimed quickly. "Nothing at all." With that, she hurried out of the house, leaving Giles and Willow looking at each other, concerned.  
  
  
*hope you enjoy! please r&r!* 


	2. Chapter 2

all disclaimers in chapter 1. enjoy!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
Buffy woke up a couple mornings later at almost 4:30 A.M. to the end of the Angel dream. It had become familiar over the past couple days. Suddenly Buffy's stomach twisted and she felt very sick. Holding her stomach and almost keeling over, Buffy rushed from bed straight to the bathroom and began to vomit into the toilet. When she was done, she laid back down in bed, wondering what had brought on vomiting. Had she eaten something the other day? She didn't know. Looking at Willow's bed, she was relieved to find that she hadn't woken up her roommate.  
  
Buffy tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come to her. She tossed and turned, looking at the clock every five minutes. Eventually she got out of bed once more and headed to her closet. She got out her favorite pair of jeans and a deep red velvet v-neck blouse. Also pulling a stake from her bag on the floor, Buffy quietly crept out of the room. Patrolling always kept her mind occupied and busy.  
  
As Buffy walked around campus, she kept her eye out for any hint of movement. She was rewarded for her vigilance outside of the library. There, a sudden flurry of movement signified the jump of a vampire, who looked rather hungry. The vampire's blond hair looked familiar, but she didn't hesitate to pull her stake and aim it at the vampire's heart. A familiar whimpering with a British accent stopped the forthcoming plunge.  
  
"Please, don't dust me!" said the voice. Buffy recognized it easily and backed off of him, sighing.  
  
"It had to be you!" she accused. Spike stumbled back and looked at her in relief. "Why couldn't you have been a vamp I could've just dusted and gotten it over with! At least the fact that it's you explains the ease of catching you."  
  
"Oh, please don't rub it in, Slayer. I'd like to bite you very much, but the bloody Initiative fixed me. And now, because of you, I can't get any donations from my fellow vampires or demons!"  
  
"Because of me? Ha! I hope you starve to death! It would be a fitting death for you," she countered. Spike grimaced as his face went back to normal.  
  
"Why, Buffy. I'm afraid you've been eating too much. You look bigger than normal. Perhaps you could donate some blood to me?" he pleaded, looking pitiful. Buffy snarled.  
  
"Take your pity camp somewhere else. Insulting a girl is not the way to get stuff." With that, Buffy stalked off.  
  
***  
  
Willow woke up a bit early that morning, feeling a bit uneasy. Looking around the room, she noticed that her roommate's bed was empty. Not made, just empty. Willow, instantly awake, sat straight up in bed. All the lights were out, so she wasn't in the room. Worried about her friend's recent strange behavior, she scrambled to get on a pair of bellbottoms and a multicolored long-sleeved shirt and headed toward the door. Opening the door, she ran straight into Buffy, on her way back in.  
  
"Oh! Willow! You're up! Hi," Buffy greeted brightly.  
  
"Yeah I'm up. W-where were you?" Willow asked. Buffy held up her stake. Willow understood. "But, so early in the morning?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep," she explained. Indeed, there were circles under her eyes, though she didn't look very tired. Despite her cheeriness, Willow could see something in Buffy's eyes that betrayed her.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked. Buffy shook her head.  
  
"Nothing? Why do you ask?" she responded. This time, Willow could hear the hollowness of her cheery tone. But she could sense that Buffy wanted to hide the fact that she wasn't okay, so she decided to ignore it.  
  
"No reason. I'm just making sure. Well, I have studying to do. See ya, Buff." With that, Willow walked out and headed to Giles' place. On the way there, Willow realized that Buffy seemed to be getting bigger. This wasn't the first time that Buffy had gotten up early in the morning and disappeared either. Buffy didn't realize that she usually woke Willow up when she sneaked out and then back in. Buffy also seemed to be making frequent trips to the bathroom each morning.  
  
As Willow walked up to Giles's door, a thought hit her. Buffy had all the symptoms of being pregnant! Giles opened the door to see Willow standing there with a shocked look on her face.  
  
"Is something wrong, Willow?" Giles asked. Willow walked numbly past Giles and sat down on his couch. "Willow?"  
  
"I think Buffy's pregnant!"  
  
"What?" Giles asked, giving her a look. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Giles," Willow started, looking at him. "Buffy's been getting bigger, she's sneaking out at nights, and she throwing up every morning since she had that dream!" Then Willow's eyes grew big as saucers. "What if she and Angel..."  
  
"Impossible," Giles cut her off. He began to walk around the room. "If she and Angel had… well, we would have Angelus to deal with."  
  
"Not if he was human for a time!" Willow exclaimed, remembering what the dream had been explained as. Giles shook his head at her.  
  
"We must get in touch with Angel," Giles said. He scratched his head and frowned, trying to figure out a way to do that.  
  
"Hey!" Willow exclaimed, interrupting Giles' reverie. "Buffy snagged one of Angel's business cards when she was in LA! I know how to find him! I'll be back!" With that, Willow ran out the door, leaving Giles in confusion.  
  
***  
  
Willow searched frantically through Buffy's stuff, looking for the card from LA. Buffy had shown her the card after she got back, but Willow didn't know where Buffy had put it. Luckily, Buffy had left the dorm room by the time Willow got back, so she was safe in that respect. As Willow finished searching everything that was in the main room, she sighed and headed for the closet. The closet was where Buffy kept her demon hunting weapons and such. Willow knelt and opened the bag they were kept in and began to search around. She finally found the card at the very bottom in a small pocket in the bag. She retrieved it and stuck it in her pocket. As she zipped the bag shut, a voice startled her.  
  
"What are you doing, Willow?" Buffy asked. Willow nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around, thankful that Buffy hadn't come in a couple seconds earlier.  
  
"Umm, looking for a sweater!" Willow said, grabbing one from the rack.  
  
"Will, that's my sweater," Buffy said. Willow shrugged.  
  
"Can I borrow it?" she asked weakly. Buffy sighed.  
  
"Go ahead. I'm not gonna wear it today." Buffy grabbed a book and walked out. It seemed to Willow that Buffy looked even bigger than she had in the morning. Willow shrugged again, put the sweater down, then ran to Giles'.  
  
***  
  
Willow handed the card to Giles as soon as he opened the door and breathed heavily. Without asking any questions, Giles sat down near his phone and dialed the number, hoping that it would work.  
  
***  
  
Cordelia heard the phone ring in Angel's office. Unfortunately Angel was downstairs. Cordelia rushed and sat and spun in his seat, then grabbed the phone.  
  
"Hello, Angel Inc! Helping those who need help!" Cordelia said in a rush.  
  
"Cordelia?" a British voice questioned.  
  
"Giles?" Cordelia returned.  
  
"I expected Angel," Giles stated.  
  
"Well excuse me!" Cordelia said huffily. "Watch and see if I ever answer the phone for you again!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Cordelia. May I talk to Angel?" Giles asked.  
  
"Just a sec, he's downstairs." Cordelia put the phone on the desk then went to the top of the stairs. "Angel! Giles wants to talk to you!" she yelled. A minute later, Angel came running up the stairs.  
  
"Who?" Angel asked.  
  
"Giles. As in Buffy's watcher."  
  
"Why's Giles on the phone?"  
  
"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Cordelia said impatiently, then shoved the phone at Angel. Cordelia made her way out of his office as Angel sat down and put the phone to his ear.  
  
"Giles?" Angel asked, making sure he was still there.  
  
"Angel, there's some information I must ask of you," Giles said, his voice urgent. "It's about Buffy."  
  
"Is something wrong with Buffy?" Angel asked, immediately worried.  
  
"We're not quite sure. Buffy may have a... 'physical' condition. Do you remember when Buffy came to confront you in Los Angeles after Thanksgiving?"  
  
"Yes." 'Oh God, yes. How could I forget?' Angel thought to himself. That time was... painful to remember. Angel was the only one who still knew what had occurred during that time, or rather what had not occurred. "Why, what about it?"  
  
"Angel, Buffy has been having some rather odd dreams lately. In them, you were human and you made love without calling forth Angelus. That is what we believe is most important."  
  
"What!" Angel yelled, springing out of his chair. Outside of his office, Cordelia and Wesley both gave him odd looks, but he ignored them. If Giles was telling the truth then something had gone seriously wrong.  
  
"Is something wrong, Angel?" Giles asked. Angel forced himself to sit down and to calm down. There was no way that Buffy could be having dreams about that.  
  
"Umm, no. I'm sorry Giles. Go on."  
  
"Of course," Giles responded, his tone revealing that he wasn't convinced. "Anyways, we have reason to believe that Buffy may be… pregnant."  
  
"Buffy's pregnant!" Angel was once more out of his seat. Cordelia and Wesley, who had apparently been eavesdropping, yelled in surprise over the phone.  
  
"Oh my gawd!" Cordelia's voice came over the phone and Angel's acute hearing.  
  
"By who?" Wesley asked, shocked.  
  
"Oh no…" Giles moaned.  
  
"Get off the phone!" Angel barked at. Cordelia whimpered and gave Angel puppy dog eyes from outside his office window. Angel pulled the cord and the blinds went down. A moment later, he heard Cordelia click off the line. "Wesley," he stated impatiently. Wesley clicked off a second later. "Giles, I'm coming down there," Angel told him flatly.  
  
"Angel, I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Giles answered hesitantly.  
  
"I'll see you soon." With that, Angel hung up. He walked out of his office and past Cordelia and Wesley. "Stay and mind the store. I have something to take care of back in Sunnydale."  
  
***  
  
Willow looked expectantly at Giles and he grimaced. Giles shook his head and hung up the phone.  
  
"What?" Willow asked. "Did Angel say anything?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. He's coming to Sunnydale."  
  
"Uh oh! Not good! Especially with how upset Riley is with Buffy for avoiding him! If Angel shows up..."  
  
"Yes, yes, I know." Giles rubbed his forehead. "I feel a headache coming on."  
  
"Hi Willow, hi Giles!"  
  
"Umm, hello Buffy," Giles said hesitantly.  
  
"What's with grim reaper face?" Buffy asked, taking a bite of ice cream out of the small pint she held in her hand.  
  
"Nothing Buffy. What brings you here?"  
  
"What, aren't I allowed to come visit you?" Buffy suddenly pouted. 'Uh oh! Mood swings!' Willow thought. She and Giles exchanged glances. "What?" Buffy asked, confused.  
  
"Buffy, have you been getting any... odd craving lately?" Willow asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy was paying more attention to her ice cream than she was to Willow and Giles. Giles sighed and took his glasses off.  
  
"Buffy, would you like some pickles?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yes!" Buffy exclaimed, startling Willow. Giles shrugged at Willow, then got up to get some pickles for Buffy. He returned a minute later and handed a whole jar to her. Buffy began to inhale them and Willow sighed in frustration.  
  
"Buffy, have you been to the doctor lately?" Giles asked.  
  
"No, why?" Buffy looked up momentarily.  
  
"Then I'll make an appointment for you. A friend of mine from England is in town and he can see you."  
  
"What?" Buffy had set down the pickles and was looking at Giles in confusion.  
  
"Buffy-" Willow began.  
  
"Willow, no. We have to be sure before we tell her."  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"Nothing Buffy," Giles said. Buffy eyes flared.  
  
"Tell. Me. What." Buffy stated furiously. Willow recognized the look.  
  
"Run!"  
  
***  
  
Riley was wandering around school campus several days later, pondering Buffy's recent strange behavior. She seemed to be avoiding him, and none of her friends would tell him anything. He'd thought he'd become part of their inside circle after all he had done, but evidently not. After all the rumors that were flying, Riley felt desolate. It seemed that Buffy was involved with another guy. Suddenly, Riley bumped into another person. He looked up to apologize and his eyes flared.  
  
"It's you!" Riley nearly shouted. "I should've known!"  
  
"What?" Angel asked. Then he recognized Riley. "What'd I do?"  
  
"'What'd you do!' You know what you did! You've stolen Buffy back! Once again, you just sweep into town and think you can take her!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Angel asked convincingly. Riley didn't buy it.  
  
"You're the person who Buffy's been seeing!" Riley yelled, then charged at Angel. A cold voice stopped him in barely inches from Angel's suddenly changed face.  
  
"Riley! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Buffy shouted. Riley and Angel both looked towards the source and their jaws dropped.  
  
"Buffy?" they said together. They glared at each other, but kept their main attention on Buffy.  
  
"Buffy, what's wrong?" Riley said. "Is that why you've been avoiding me?"  
  
"Buffy, exactly how far along are you?" Angel asked, amazed. Buffy seemed to break down and she started running toward the two. Riley held his arms out, but Buffy ran right past him and grabbed onto Angel. Angel was as shocked as Riley was as Riley gave him a death look. Angel's face returned to normal and he hesitantly patted her on the back. Buffy sobbed into his chest. "Umm, there, there."  
  
"Angel, I needed to see you so much!" she sobbed, clutching him tightly. "I have all these horrible mood swings and I crave nasty foods, and I throw up every morning, and… and I have these dreams and I'm so confused! I don't know what's wrong with me!"  
  
"Buffy, what's wrong?" Riley asked, temporarily putting aside his anger at Angel.  
  
"She's pregnant," Angel mouthed above Buffy's head. Riley's eyes grew wide and he stalked off without a word.  
  
"Riley?" Buffy sniffed, immediately detecting his absence. Angel looked down at her and pet her head in an effort to calm her. She looked up into his eyes. "Angel, what's wrong with me?"  
  
"Nothing, Buffy, nothing," Angel told her. She buried her face in his chest and Angel thought back to that night when Buffy found out that what had happened was going to be erased. She had clung to him and cried that night also. Angel thought vicious thoughts at the Powers That Be. It could only be some oversight that they had made that could lead to this. He looked down at Buffy again. "Everything's going to be alright, Buffy."  
  
***  
  
Giles answered his door after he looked to check who it was. It was his doctor friend who had worked for the Council awhile back. Giles held his hand out to the woman.  
  
"Greeting, Alicia. It's been a while."  
  
"Yes, Rupert, it has," the woman said warmly, taking the extended hand. She pulled him into a hug and Xander muffled laughter from behind them. "Well, who would you friends be?" Alicia asked when they disengaged.  
  
"Oh, um. This is Willow and Tara, our resident witches. This is Anya, an ex-vengeance demon. Angel, whom you already know. Buffy, the Slayer and patient. And this is Xander, our… umm…" Giles introduced, stumbling for a word to describe Xander. Alicia looked around at the group. Willow had her arm around Tara, Anya was kissing Xander, and Buffy was clinging to Angel. Xander looked up, pushing Anya away slightly.  
  
"I'm our sleuth!" Xander proclaimed, his chest puffed up. "I figure everything out!"  
  
"No you're not!" Anya said. "You're my toy!" As Xander blushed furiously, Anya began to kiss him again.  
  
"How very... interesting," Alicia said, grinning.  
  
***  
  
Outside, Spike watched the group through a window. He knew something had been going on with Buffy for a while. It was hard to miss the fact that she had definitely gained weight over the past week or so. It was also obvious that Buffy wasn't fighting as well as before. She hadn't detected him trailing her since that morning when she'd almost staked him. And even then, her reflexes had been down. Spike would admit it to no one else, but he was worried about her.  



End file.
